Effects of type and contents of microencapsuled n-alkanes on properties of soft polyurethane foams

Soft polyurethane (PU) composite foams containing microencapsulated n-alkanes were fabricated with general polyether and a combination of polyether polyols. The elongations at breakage and the permanent deformations of foams are decreased with an increased content of microcapsules. It has no obvious effect on tensile strength of the foams when the content of microcapsules was less than a certain value. When the general polyether was used, the foams with different densities could be fabricated by adjusting the content of foaming agent. The enthalpies of the foams rise steadily as the content of microcapsules increased from 6.4 to 25.2 wt%. The enthalpy of the foam containing 25.2% microencapsulated n-octadecane (MicroC18) is 28 J/g.